Bouquet After the Afterward
by KittyThomas
Summary: At Paine and Baralai's wedding, Rikku is unfortunately cornered by a certain irritatingsomeone who simply won't leave her alone... and reveals a fact about their past she'd prefer to leave be... before kissing her. R&G, P&B, Y&T. R&R please!


**Bouquet- After the Afterward**

**Disclaimer:** **(I keep forgetting to do these lol) Final Fantasy does not belong to me. It never has and it sadly never well. **

**A/N: Three months after the defeat of Vegnagun... too soon, do you think? So does Rikku. Ties in with the story I wrote about their children, but will never finish do to EXTREME lack of interest. Oneshot... again, kind of. May add the second chapter. May multi-fic it between the stories of the three couples. Depends on demand I suppose. Talk to me, readers!**

**.o0o.**

"I don't believe it!" Rikku exclaimed, her long dress jumping off the floor, "I honestly don't believe it!"

"Rikku," said Paine calmly, suppressing a wide smile, "You didn't believe it eight weeks ago when I told you. I would have thought you'd come to grips with it by now."

"You're smiling!" She shrieked, "You're smiling and you're married!"

Paine's pale face flickered with a girly blush. She gripped Baralai's arm tightly and he smiled back at her.

"A month!" Rikku continued, "A month after Vegnagun, you two got ENGAGED! I don't believe it! You're married!"

"Yes, Rikku, we are. You can stop going on about it now."

"But… but… how?"

"Well, we kinda hit it off back then in the Crimson days, and it didn't take us long to get, er, back on track… we decided to just cut the small talk and get hitched."

And they had, with a big, beautiful wedding in Bevelle, half of the city present. Not your traditional wedding, absent of most flowers and finery. Bevelle looked beautiful on its own, although there had been a lot of balloons and white doves at the party. Baralai wore some dashing dark robes, and Paine had a gorgeous black and red dress, decorated with subtle roses and ribbons. Rikku still couldn't get over the change in her friend, or absence of change. It was hard to tell. She was smiling a lot more- and glowing in some way. She couldn't have imagined the couple together before today, but now she could see it. Paine might have been a sphere-hunter, and Baralai might have been a politician, but they loved each other, somehow they'd make it work.

She glanced over to where Yuna had been standing in a yellow-gold bridesmaid dress that matched her own- but she wasn't there. She and Tidus had snuck off some while ago. Rikku rolled her eyes.

"Make sure Yunie's back before you throw the bouquet, 'kay?" She sighed, "Those two need to get cracking!"

"He's only been back three months, Rikku, and the two are already inseparable."

"I don't care! They need to get married! Soon!"

She received no response to her outburst; the couple were staring at each other with that funny googly-eyed look about them. Sighing, she mooched off to the buffet table.

"Hey, Cid's girl!" A voice spoke from the shadows.

Why had Baralai decided on Gippal as his best man? Why not Nooj? Nooj she could handle- he was currently stalking balcony with LeBlanc glued to his side. She supposed Gippal would have been invited anyway. Stupid, irritating, _Gippal._

"What do you want?" She scowled darkly.

"My dance with the bridesmaid, 'course." He said in his usual cocky tone. "Where I come from, the best man always dances with the bridesmaids."

"Where you come from is where _I_ come from," She hissed, "so stop with the culture issues."

"We always kiss the bridesmaids too."

"Shut up, Gippal. I wouldn't dance with you if I had the choice between you and a squatter monkey."

"Oo, harsh."

"But true."

"Aww… come on Cid's girl! Need to train you up to be my wife someday!"

Rikku flashed him the darkest of all glares she could muster.

"I will never marry you!" She spat.

He caught her hand before she slapped him and held her in his vice-like grip. Strange thing was, he was being extremely gentle.

"You should have said that before we got engaged."

"I didn't have a choice! It was all Pops idea, not mine!"

"Yeah, but don't you remember –before all that- when we were about seven and playing marriage? You were way keener than I!"

"I was a kid!"

"You still are!"

"Pfpft! Hardly. I changed my mind when I outgrew you."

"And how are things on planet Yeah Right?"

"Shut it! You- you BASTARD!" Rikku turned her back on the Al Bhed and rushed for the door. Gippal caught her on the promenade and forced her to turn her face him. She was crying.

"Hey," He said softly, "Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you so upset. I'm sorry Rikku."

"No you're not!" she sobbed, "I wanted to marry you, I did! Even when I said didn't, I was lying- and I thought you knew that! But you… you just didn't want to marry me. You were prepared to die, rather than stay with me! I thought-"

"Rikku…" Gippal was looking at her as though he couldn't work out whether he should hug her or shake her. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I… is that what you thought? That I joined the Crimson Squad because I didn't want to marry you?"

"Y… yes." She hiccuped unhappily, brushing away her tears. "W-wasn't it?"

"No!" He shook her, "No…" Then he pulled her into his arms and wiped away her tears with his thumbs. "Silly girl… I wanted to protect you! To make myself worthy to come back _and_ marry you!"

"You- you should have said." Rikku smiled through her tears, hardly believing what she was hearing. "When you said goodbye… you were angry. Dismissive. I was sure I was never going to see you again."

"I was angry at myself! I kept thinking 'Gippal, you're an idiot. You're gonna die and you haven't even told her you love her yet.'" Although Gippal didn't notice it, Rikku suddenly froze. Her heart skipped a beat, but Gippal continued blabbering on. "And I kept thinking, by the time you get back, she'll have met someone else. I was sure-"

"Wait," Rikku interrupted, "You _love _me?"

"Er… yeah." He said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, "Did I not-"

"No!"

"Oh. Well, I love you."

"I love you too!" she said blankly.

Gippal's whole face lit up. "Really?" He asked. She nodded. "Well, that makes things hell of a lot easier."

"For doing what?"

"This."

And before she could say anything else, he leant down, pulled up her chin, and kissed her.

"Mmm!" Squeaked Rikku in surprise, eyes wide open in shock. But the shock soon slipped into wonder, and then to pleasure, where her eyes drifted shut. She wrapped her arms around Gippal's neck, and his hands slipped to her waist, pulling her closer into his embrace. It was an age before they finally pulled away.

"Still want to marry me?" He asked.

She tried to look dissatisfied and managed a believable placid stare. "I dunno." She said casually.

"WHAT?!" He shrieked, "Oh come on, you _so _liked that kiss."

"And?" she raised one eyebrow. "One kiss doesn't change anything."

"I said I loved you! You said you loved me back!"

"Oh, so I did." She remarked blankly.

"Yeah, so- are you saying you _don't _want to marry me?"

"I didn't say that."

"There is no 'dunno' you either want to or you don't!"

"Well- _do you_?" She arched her eyebrows inquiringly.

Cocky, arrogant, over-confident, big-headed, irritating Gippal was stuck for words. Rikku was being all smarmy and secretive. That alone was weird enough. But he couldn't work out what was going on in her little head- or his for that matter. It was like she had fried his brain into gloop. And he really cared about something, for the first time in his life.

But he could tell she wanted an honest answer.

"Yes." He said. "Yes, Rikku. I really want to marry you."

She turned her back on him, hiding her ecstatic smile. She was beaming from ear to ear with happiness.

"Well then?" she asked expectantly. "Go on."

"Go on what?"

"And propose to me, _oui eteud_!"

"We're already engaged!"

"So?"

"What's the point?"

"I WANT TO BE ASKED!" She shrieked, "I want to actually have a say in my future."

"Fine. Rikku," He spun her towards him, "Will you marry me?"

"Yes!" She screamed, and leapt into arms, "Yes, Gippal. I would love to marry you."

"Oh." He said. "Good." Then he kissed her.

And when they went back inside to join the festivities, they arrived just in time to see Paine throw the flowers over her head, straight in the direction of the door. Yuna was standing in entirely the wrong direction, and the bouquet flew straight into Rikku's arms. Blushing, she hurried off shortly after, Gippal not far behind.

**.o0o.**

**A/N: So, there we go folks! This is just one of the many ways I envision Rikku and Gippal hooking up...and getting engaged. I quite like it, although I personally would prefer Tidus and Yuna getting together first. Having said that, these two do seem to have a history. Hey! Any requests for other hooking-up fics? I love them!**

**Yeah... I love this couple! R&R please-y.**


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